Tent shelter



Nov. 11, 1958 w, BARNES 2,859,756

TENT SHELTER Filed Sept. 14, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

INVENTOR H. W. BARNES Nov. 11, 1958 TENT SHELTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 14, 1956 HIX W. BARNES United States Patent TENT SHELTER Hix W. Barnes, Dallas, Tex.

Application September 14, 1956, Serial No. 610,019 I 2 Claims. (Cl. 135-5) This present invention relates to a shelter or tent or the like carried by a motor vehicle and which can be stored and adapted to be erected in a short time.

The principal object of the inventionis to provide a tent structure comprising a frame work including rollers and adapted for being mounted on and carried by a car and also including canvas or other fabric means adapted for being wound up onthe rollers and wound off therefrom to erect a shelter from the sun and rain.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tent structure of the type described in which the fabric sheets are automatically fastened to one another as they are wound off the rollers.

With these objects in view and others which will become apparent as the invention is fully understood, the same resides in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements specifically described hereinafter and claimed in the appended claims.

The description is illustrated in a drawing forming part of the application and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the tent construction in pulledout or operative position;

Fig. 2 is another perspective of the structure viewed somewhat downwardly;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the frame work with the sheets wound up in inoperative position;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the rear end of the frame work with the sheets wound up;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the frame work in folded or inoperative position;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the frame structure with the rollers thereof in aligned position for winding off the fabric sheets.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the tent structure in woundup condition on top of the car;

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of the tent pole for supporting the outer end of the fabric structure.

Fig. 9 is a transverse, vertical section of the structure with one of the sheets partly wound off. a

In the drawings in which like characters of reference designate like or similar elements, A denotes a base, such as a motor vehicle having on its top conventional roof drain gutters G to each of which can be anchored three fasteners 2. Each fastener is secured to one end of an extensible strap 4. Each of the two straps 4 secured by fasteners 2 to the same roof drain gutter is transversely substantially aligned with a similar or like strap connected to the other gutter. The inner ends of the pair of transversely aligned straps (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3) are looped through openings in the adjacent ends of a beam 8 carrying on its underside vacuum cups 10 and on its upper side a cradle 12 having on its top side at least one large notch and a smaller notch. Parts 8, 10 and 12 constitute a support for a pair of tubular housings 18.

Each housing 18 has an angle iron 20 afiixed to its side confronting the other tube in lengthwise relation and disposed so that one web lies in the horizontal and the pther affixed to its tube along the vertical. The horizontal 2,859,756 Patented Nov. 11, 1958 web of one angle iron shown in Fig. 3 is resting on the corresponding flange of the other angle iron and both ice horizontal webs have at their front ends aligned openingsafiording substantial play to a pivot pin 22.

One of the housings 18, in Fig. 3 having the tube on the left hand side of the car looking from the rear to the front thereof is fixedly mounted in the larger notch.

' crank 36.

Adjacent edges of the sheets carry sliding clasp fasteners 38 which can be united or separated by an intermediate slider 40 secured directly or indirectly to the car.

Each tube rests at its approximate middle in a notch provided in a rear cradle 42 attached at each endto the top side of a rear beam 44. The tube on the left hand side of the vehicle may be fixed in its notch. Each end of the rear beam is attached to the top of the stem of a vacuum cup engaging the top of the vehicle. The rear .beam is also secured to the top of the car or more particularly to the roof drain gutters by straps like the first mentioned beam.

The smaller notches of the front cradle and of the rear cradle adjacent the left ear side are loosely occupied by an extensible tent pole 46, preferably composed of two telescopically related sections one of which is pointed at one end to be embedded in the ground while the other is adapted for engagement with adjacent corners of the front ends of the pulled out sheets or with the handles thereof.

48 denotes one of at least three guy ropes, each secured at one end to a stake 50 driven into the ground at an angle. The other end of one of the ropes is attached to the adjacent front end corner of the sheets to the top of the tent pole. The other ends of the remaining ropes are each attached to one of the front end corners, distant from one another, of the pulled out sheets.

Removal of the lock pin 24 and the loose mounting of pivot pin 22 in the holes provided in the horizontal webs of the angle irons attached to the tubes will enable the operator to swing the tube on the right hand side of the vehicle to a position in which both tubes are aligned (Figs. 2 and 6). The tube swung into alignment with the stationary tube is supported at its approximate middle in the notch of a cradle fastened to the top of a beam 52 which carries on its under side vacuum cups. Beam 52 is secured like the other two cradle carrying beams by straps to the roof drain gutters.

The tent structure above described is carried in an inoperative or stored state as illustrated in Fig. 7 with the two tubes disposed in parallel relation and the locking pin at their rear ends holding them in such relation. The tent pole rests in the smaller notches of the intermediate cradle and rear cradle, with the hollow section of the pole storing the crank handle 36.

After the motorist has found a place suitable for the erection of the shelter, he extracts the locking pin from the rear ends of the angle irons, detaches the right hand rear strap from its gutter and swings the tube nearest the right hand car side first slightly upward out of the right hand notch of the rear cradle. Then the right hand tube is swung outwardly of the car and inwardly thereof to an imaginary line being the extension of the left hand tube axis to be supported in the notch of cradle beam 52. The operator then seizesthe two handle elements of the rolledup canvas sheets which are joined together at the adjacent corners by the slider of the clasp fastener, and pulls the sheets unwound from their rollers outward. The slider em ining a nb an a ly st tiqnaty :Will.;se (the a jacent edges .of .the twosheets as they are 1 moved past the. slider. vAs; soon ,as the, operator. is-satisfied that-the pulled-out area of the. canvas, .sheets is sufficient, heqtakes the tent pole and sinks it into. the groundwith thepointed end and adjuststhe poleto the desired length and-places it beneath, the, inner adjacent ends. ,of, the, sheet, handles. A flexible. member-secured ,at one end toa, stake driven-into the ground ,at an angle can be attached to thenadjacent ends. of .the sheet handles,and./or tothetap-hend Gf the pole. Two additional flexiblemembers and ,4 stakes ..-will adequately secure the remaining. outer ends ,of the sheet handlesf Thescanvas ,sheetsmaay be rewound by fusing-crank handle 36.

While; there has beendescribedand the drawing shows what is at present believed to be the preferred ernbodb.

ment of the invention,.it will be. understoodthatvar-ious modifications maybe made therein;v and it. is contemplated tov cover in the appended claims all suchmodifications as fall Within thetrue spirit andthe .scope'of thez-invention and apparent to a. person skilled in, the art.

What. I claim is as. follows:

1. Inashelter construction the. combinationcomprisinga base,, a firstmounting means .detachably secured to aselected part of the base, a first and a second housing, both carriedby .said first mounting means when in a stored asSembIy each-said housing having .a lengthwise slot and including a core journaled therein, means formtating said core aroll of fabric sheet on eachof the cores and fastened thereto at the inner end of each sheet, each said sheet protrudingtthrough its respective said slot at its outer end, a longitudinal handle bar for each sheet, said bar having a length greater than the length of its respective said slot and attached to the outer end of its respective sheet, the first andthe second housings being pivoted together at one of their ends to permit their assembly in parallel for storage, means to release the second housing from its assembly in parallel to allow for swinging said secondhousing into-acommon axis with the first housing and into an operable. assemblywith the slots in the housings aligned facing in the same direction, a second mounting means-detachably secured to a selected part of the base for the support of said second housing in an operable position.

2. A shelter construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sheets comprise joiningmeansat.theinnear edges when the sheets arepinan extendedppsition fortemporarily joining them-to form a singlesheet ;,cover and means to support the handle bar of each sheet-in spaced relation to the ground.

References Cited in the file .of this; patent .UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,106,624 -Cadwallader-et a1. Aug. 11,1914 1,157,115 :McIntyre Oct. 19, 1915 2,434,387 Brandt Jan. 13, 1948 2,585,449 -Eskew "Feb. 12, 1952 2,609,042 Chamberlain Sept. 2, 1952 2,679,255 'Stafiord 'May '25, 1954 

